Team of Dedicated Student Data Scientists Begin an Adventurous Journey to find Two Campsites in Honor of Their SDS 192 Class
Group: Chhiring Lama, Joyce Huang, Nukhbah Majid
Question:
From the SDS192 Mini-Project 3 webpage: “MacLeish currently has two campsites: one large group site closer to the building and one remote campsite with two tent platforms about one mile from the parking area. We would like to develop one additional campsite that is approximately half a mile walk from the parking area, within 200’ of a stream or other source of water, in forest that is unlike the forest in the two other campsites, relatively flat, and at least 500’ from any research area or any element of the Challenge Course. Propose two new campsite locations for our consideration. It would be ideal if you co”uld verify the viability of your site by actually visiting it (and maybe taking some photographs!)."
Analysis and Blog Post
The Center of Ecological and Environmental Design at Smith College needs help. There has been a high demand for more campsites but they are not sure where on the Smith Land to make one. Luckily, SDS192 students have come to the rescue.
Our project encompasses finding optimum locations for two additional campsites at MacLeish Field Station. Following the criteria, our group visited the field station in pursuit of the ideal locations. The proposed locations - namely Campsite A and Campsite B - on our data graphics present fit the criteria:
Approximately half a mile walk from the parking area
Within 200’ of a stream or other source of water
In a forest of different vegetation that the prior campsites
Relatively flat
At least 500’ from any research area or any element of the Challenge Course
We have included four data graphics in our project.
##Creating sf data frame for research centers buffer, challenge courses buffer and streams buffer ----
proj4_aea <- "+proj=aea +lat_1=29.5 +lat_2=45.5 +lat_0=37.5 +lon_0=-96 +x_0=0 +y_0=0 +ellps=GRS80 +datum=NAD83 +units=m +no_defs"
stream_buffer <- macleish_layers %>%
pluck("streams") %>%
st_transform(proj4_aea) %>%
st_buffer(dist = 60.96) %>% ##200' is 60.96 meter
st_transform(4326)
research_buffer <- macleish_layers %>%
pluck("research")%>%
st_transform(proj4_aea)%>%
st_buffer(dist = 152.4)%>%
st_transform(4326)
challenge_buffer <- macleish_layers %>%
pluck("challenge_courses")%>%
st_transform(proj4_aea)%>%
st_buffer(dist = 152.4)%>%
st_transform(4326)##Plotting the old and new campsites ----
##New Campsite
my_points <- tribble(
~point, ~lon, ~lat,
"Campsite A", -72.6761655, 42.4539000,
"Campsite B", -72.677100, 42.455680
)
my_sf1 <- my_points %>%
st_as_sf(coords = c("lon", "lat"), crs = 4326)
##Old Campsite
my_camps <- tribble(
~point, ~lon, ~lat,
"Old Site 1", -72.678154, 42.450976,
"Old Site 2", -72.679581, 42.458549
)
Old_camps <- my_camps %>%
st_as_sf(coords = c("lon", "lat"), crs = 4326) ## this is to try to make a unionized buffer for research, stream and challenge course sites ----
research_combinedBuff <- st_combine(research_buffer)
challenge_courseBuff <- st_combine(challenge_buffer)
stream_combineBuff <- st_combine(stream_buffer)##Buffers(research, challenge courses and stream) and all other macleish layers ----
leaflet() %>%
addTiles() %>%
addPolylines(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "trails"), color = "orange", weight = 1) %>%
addPolylines(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "research"), color = "black", weight = 2) %>%
addPolygons(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "buildings"),
weight = 1, popup = ~name) %>%
addPolylines(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "streams"),
weight = 1, color = "black") %>%
addPolylines(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "wetlands"), color = "purple", weight = 2) %>%
addPolygons(data = st_union(stream_combineBuff), color = "blue", label = as.character("Streams Buffer")) %>%
addPolygons (data = st_union(research_combinedBuff), color = "red", label = as.character("Research Centers Buffer")) %>%
addPolygons (data = st_union(challenge_courseBuff), color = "green", label = as.character("Challenge Courses Buffer")) %>%
addMarkers(data = my_sf1, popup = ~point) A data graphic depicting that the two campsites are 500’ away from research centers and challenge courses and within 200’ of water resources. These are all indicated by buffers. The red unionized buffer indicates the 500’ distance from the research facilities. The green unionized buffer indicates the 500’ distance from the challenge courses. The blue unionized buffer represents the 200’
##Plotting two new campsites and vegetation type ----
forest <- macleish_layers %>%
pluck("forests")
pal <- colorNumeric(
palette = "viridis",
domain = macleish_layers[["forests"]]$VegType_21
)
##Forest (vegetation) map
leaflet() %>%
addTiles() %>%
addPolygons(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "forests"),
color = ~pal(VegType_21),
weight = 2, label = ~as.character(Sheet1__Na)) %>%
addPolylines(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "trails"), color = "brown", weight = 2)%>%
addMarkers(data = my_sf1, popup = ~point)%>%
addMarkers(data = Old_camps, popup = ~point)A data graphic depicting that the proposed campsite locations are on different types of land - types of vegetation - than the existing two campsites. To differentiate between different types of vegetation, we decided to have labels, popups, and color to check to see that all the campsites will be in different kinds of forests.
##Contour map with the elevations and wetlands ----
leaflet() %>%
addTiles() %>%
addPolylines(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "contours_3m"), color = "#CFD8DC", weight = 2)%>%
addPolylines(data = pluck(macleish_layers, "wetlands"), fill = "blue", fillOpacity = 1, weight = 2, label = ~as.character(IT_VALDESC)) %>%
addMarkers(data = my_sf1, popup = ~point)Another data graphic depicting that the proposed campsite locations are on relatively flat ground. The 10’ contour elevation layer from the MacLeish data has been plotted as polylines. The two proposed campsite locations are between these polylines rather than on top of them - indicating the flatness of the ground.
##Checking if the campsites are about half a mile away (804m) from the parking space ----
##creating sf object for parking lot and a 804m buffer around it.
parking <- tribble(
~point, ~lon, ~lat,
"B", -72.680663, 42.448013
)
my_park <- parking %>%
st_as_sf(coords = c("lon", "lat"), crs = 4326)
parking_buffer <- my_park %>%
st_transform(proj4_aea)%>%
st_buffer(dist = 804)%>%
st_transform(4326)
##Plot for the parking buffer
leaflet() %>%
addTiles() %>%
addMarkers(data = my_park, label ="Parking Lot")%>%
addPolylines(data = parking_buffer, color = "red", fillOpacity = .2) %>%
addMarkers(data = my_sf1, popup = ~point)The fourth data graphic depicts the buffer of half a mile originating from the parking lot - indicating that one of the campsites is outside the buffer and another campsite is near the end of the buffer. The actual walk from the parking lot will be longer than half a mile since the trails are not straight.
While we were plotting the data and figuring out the ideal locations for the campsites, we ran into several problems. As we had divided the criteria for the campsites locations as four distinct visual graphics, we had to make sure that the proposed locations complied with the conditions set by all the data graphics. The easiest thing to determine for the campsite locations was their location is 500’ away from the research centers and challenge courses while also being 200’ within the radius for a water source. The hardest was to make sure that the campsites were within the Smith property and at relatively flat locations on different vegetation type than the existing two campsites.
On our visit to MacLeish, we took pictures of the places where we think the new campsites should be:
